News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on April 1 that its forces had "completed" the occupation of Luhansk Oblast. The Ukrainian military dismissed the claim as propaganda.

Outraged at European countries' refusal to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatened to halt the PURL program selling U.S. weapons to NATO for use in Ukraine, officials told the Financial Times.

"A pause on Easter could serve as a signal to everyone that diplomacy can succeed," Zelensky said.

U.S. President Donald Trump called NATO a "paper tiger" and said Russian President Vladimir Putin shares that opinion.

Vessels of Russia's shadow fleet are using Starlink to communicate and coordinate, a Kyiv Independent investigation has revealed.

Russian officials have suggested that such drones could be supplied to “friendly nations."

Telegram channels monitoring Ukraine's airspace reported that over 80 drones were in the country's airspace.

The U.S. would consider the request only "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear," President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with Slovakia’s former foreign minister Ivan Korcok about the country’s stance on Ukraine under Prime Minister Robert Fico, and what it means for Slovakia’s role within the EU and NATO.

The FSB may begin monitoring Russian IT companies for possible VPN use, with non-compliant companies facing penalties, Kommersant reported.